396 BC
by Cynical Classicist
Summary: This takes place in 396 BC... but not on Earth. A prequel to a story set after the Time War.


**I wrote this in a few hours. Just an idea I had.**

In 396 BC, on the planet Earth, a woman called Cynisca became the first woman to win an Olympic event. Though woman could not compete or even enter the stadium she owned and trained the horses that won an Olympic chariot-racing event and so was classed the winner of this event which she had not even been able to watch. Cynisca was the sister of the Spartan King Agesilaus II. This event became famous and the race was even watched by that time traveller known as the Doctor, while in their eighth body. Other events happened this year. Agesilaus, the year his sister was winning fame, campaigned in Asia Minor against the Persians, winning at Sardis and raiding Phrygia. However, the Persians had success elsewhere, seizing the city of Rhodes. And in Rome the army had pay introduced.

Yet this is about another event that took place in this year, an event not on Earth. Far out, so far away that even light would take over an hour to travel there from Earth, a ship cruised along, a ship from thousands of years into the future. It was an ugly-looking ship, squat and black, designed for quick time-travel. Contained within were beings that if the Doctor had known were present they would have at once piloted their TARDIS there, though this did not occur at the same time as the Olympics. Contained within the ship were the Daleks.

The Daleks glided round the ship, surrounding a large machine.

"Time-jump successful!" reported the Dalek commanding the vessel. "Location, the Sol System!"

Another figure glided forward, one of the most dangerous Daleks in existence, the Dalek Time Controller. Its eyestalk surveyed the machine in front of it, a machine which contained Dalek DNA. "That is excellent. We are now in position."

A planet was before them, not even ten light-rels away, a planet of gas.

"Taranium detected" said a Dalek. "Scans indicate significant taranium deposits."

The Time-ship slowed, hovering over a small moon. It would be discovered in 1986, the same year of Mondas' destruction, and given the name Desdemona, after a character in a play, murdered by her husband.

"We will land and begin mining!" commanded the Time Controller. On Uranus was the rare material Taranium, this was the only planet in this sector of space that contained Taranium. As a result some of the closest moons did have some Taranium deposits. "We must immediately set up mining facilities! We have the resources to create Daleks in this region of space the Time Lords are not yet operating in, with which we will secure our Taranium mining!"

The ship hovered over the moon, scanning the structure. A controlled blast shot out, breaking open Desdemona. Mining facilities were shot out of the time ship, automatically being placed into position. A small Dalek force left the time ship to begin mining work.

"Alert! Time Lords have detected us!" reported a Dalek.

"Evacuate immediately!" commanded the Commander. The Daleks began to move from their mining facilities.

"We must be ready to evacuate within 40 rels!"

"Alert! Cannot return to ship within this period!" came the report from the Daleks at the bottom of the mine.

"Remain! Destroy our equipment to make sure the Time Lords do not seize it!" ordered the Time Controller. The Commander watched the Time Controller. They ranked above of course, so must be obeyed without question.

The nearest Daleks returned to their ship, which rose into the air with small amount of mining ore on-board, containing only specks of Taranium, even though this was the richest ore on this moon. As the ship turned and began moving away from the planet in preparation for a time jump, in the hope that the Taranium deposits would not overly interfere with its temporal technology, something dropped from the ship. It struck the surface of Desdemona, still cracked from the mining, burrowing deep into the planet, over three thousand metres.

A Time Lord vessel emerged, a battle TARDIS with the capabilities to destroy the ship. It was just in time to see the Time Ship flee through history.

"They have escaped" commented the Captain, a tall woman on her fifth body.

"Should we pursue?" asked the Chief Pilot.

"Not yet. Scan for evidence of any Dalek remnants" ordered the Captain. "The whole planetary system!" This Battle TARDIS had the latest in scanners, adapted to scan for Daleks and any trace of Dalek technology. Of course the Daleks were working to find ways to block it, but for the moment, relatively speaking in terms of the Time War, they were on a fairly equal footing.

"Only four Daleks" said her Coordinator. A holographic image appeared. "Left behind on an inner moon... known by the humans as Desdemona, after a character in a play..."

"Alright! We all read the text!" said the Captain. "Any further tech? Bombs? Reproductive devices?"

"Not that I can see" came the reply.

"Destroy the Daleks and depart this era!" came the Captain's order.

From the TARDIS a bolt fired, travelling towards the surface of Desdemona. All four Daleks were struck dead in a moment, their shells scattered. The remnants of the mine collapsed inwards.

"It is odd the Daleks would try something so brazen" commented the Lieutenant, a blond woman not even ten years into her second body, after having succumbed to a Dalek bomb. "I would have thought they would have put up more of a defence."

"Did you not see the haste with which they left? They didn't even pick up four of their kind" said the Captain.

"Why haven't we tried mining taranium here?" asked someone.

"We have our own deposits. And we don't want to tempt the Daleks, this place is too vulnerable. But keep a basic scan on the timeline of this planet Pre-colonisation" said the Captain. "Hopefully if we don't put too much interest here then neither will the Daleks. That taranium can be left to be mined at its proper place in history. And the history of this Solar System should not be tampered with anyway, humans have been a useful opponent to the Daleks."

"Should we ask the Doctor to deal with this? He spends more time in this system then out of it" said a Gunner.

"No. He has enough to worry him now, especially with the Cyclors" said the Captain. "We will report this to the Overseers of the Third Quadrant timeline. But I doubt they will see this as being of much interest."

The Battle TARDIS wheeled about and returned to the war. All its occupants would not survive much longer, save for the Gunner, who retired to Arcadia after he regenerated into his final form, only to die when the Daleks attacked on the Last Day.

But if the Time Lords had continued scanning, they might have detected something further on Desdemona.

Deep within the moon was an item, coated in a material which rendered it nearly invisible to a basic Time Lord scan. Of course traces of Dalekanium could be picked up around this moon by the sensors, but the Time Lords believed any Dalek activity on this orb was gone, any Dalekanium coming from the Daleks left behind. The item was so well coated that even Dalek sensors would have trouble picking it up. It was not active, in a state of stasis. But within was pure Dalek DNA.

Desdemona continued to spin around Uranus. A million days passed on Desdemona. Nothing changed, and no one else came.

Far away the time ship shifted through the vortex, moving to a sector of Dalek controlled space.

"The Time Lords prevented our mining" said the Commander. "Why did we not bring further forces?"

"That was not our purpose there" said the Time Controller. "We were there to plan for the survival of the Dalek race. I have examined the timelines and saw a potential future where the Progenitor we left there would prove of use."

The Daleks had seeded Progenitor at various points throughout history, often empty places without much resistance where they could easily form armies. That way they could swiftly multiply their forces. The Time Lords desperately tried to seek them out, having entire units devoted just to tracking down Progenitors and destroying them. Some had even tried to alter the Progenitors to create their own Daleks to fight the Daleks, but this failed more often then not.

The Commander could see logic in this. If the Daleks ever decided to move again on Uranus and seize the Taranium deposits there a hidden Progenitor could prove of use. Yet the Time Lords would now likely keep watch on this area of space. A differently planned attack could have enabled a successful seizing of the taranium.

"We were not informed of this plan" said the Commander.

"It was necessary in case any of us were captured and interrogated by the Time Lords" replied the Time Controller. "The taranium could prove of use in this potential timeline. A Dalek force could use the Taranium left on this moon to power itself and could use the Progenitor to create further Daleks."

"We could have taken the Taranium back with us!" said the Commander.

"Do not question my orders!" snarled the Time Controller, advancing menacingly on the Commander, who backed away. "Neither of our sides will move within that planet's area now! It was necessary the Time Lords believe Dalek activity there has ceased! My actions serve a purpose, the survival and victory of the Daleks!"


End file.
